Attachment for talking-machines.



W. A. SHARP. ATTACHMENT FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION {FILED MAY I4. I91?- 1,259,91 6. Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. A. SHARP.

ATTACHMENT ran mxme mcumzs.

APPLICATION ELLED ILY 14. I911- 19, 191& 2 SHEETHHEET z.

Patented UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ATWOOD SHARE; OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

' ATTACHMENT FOR TALKING-MACHINES.-

To all whom it may concern j Be it known that 1, lVILLiAM ATwoon SHARP,a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in thecounty of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and usefulAttachment forTalking- Machines, of-which the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention is to provide an attachment for talkingmachines, adapted to automatically lift the-needle when the phonographarm reaches one position of its movement, and automatically return thearm to its opposite movement and drop the needle again to position forengaging the record.

More particularly it is my ob ect to provide means carried by aphonograph tone arm adapted when the record has been played toautomatically operate for lifting the sound box, and the needle carriedthereby, and then to swing the tone arm back to its starting position,and when the arm has reached such position to gentlv lower the sound boxfor lowering'the needle to operative position.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevicewhereby the obiects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter morefully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in theaccompanylng drawings,

2 in which Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of a phonograph tone armwith the sound box .thereon, the device being quipped with an attachmentembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same, part of the case forth'e'operating mechanism being removed.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical, sectional viewtaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 shows an inverted horizontal, sectional view taken on the line4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a transverse, vertical. sectional view taken on the line 55of F ig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows a front elevation of part of the mechanism.

Fig. 8 shows a detail view of part of the device, and

Fig. 9 shows a detail, sectional View of the device shown in Fig. 8.

In the accompanying drawings, I have Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application filed May 14, 1917. Serial N 0. 168,617.

I shall call the rear Wall of the casing, nd

suitably held in position by screw-bolts 18 extended through theopposite walls of the casing.

Mounted on the the frame 17 within the casing wall is a second frame 19.Mounted in the frames 17 andlt) is a shaft 20. On the shaft 20 isrotatably but nonslidably mounted a gear 21, adjacent to which isaratchet wheel 22 fixed on the shaft 20. On the gear 21 is a spring pawl23, the free end of which is held in yielding engagement with theratchet wheel 22. v

A shaft 24 is mounted in the frame members 17 and 19.

On the shaft 24 is a small gear 25 which meshes with the gear 21.

Fixed on the shaft 24 are spaced annular disks 26 and 27 which are.connectcd by rods or pins 28 spaced from the site sides thereofinwardly from the periphcry of said disks. On the periphery of the disk27 are opposite lugs 30 arranged quartcring with relation to the lugs29. The disk 27 has gear teeth 27.

The shaft 20 projects through the casing member '15 and is designed toreceive on its outer end a key 31. Outside the casing, a

shaft 20, on oppocoil spring 32 has one end fixed to the easing member15 and the other end fixed to the shaft 20. By means of the key, theshaft 20 can be rotated for winding up the spring 32 and the pawl andratchet are so arranged as to prevent the rotation of the gear 21against the spring tension, except when the shaft is given rotation.

Extended transversely through suitable openings in the walls of thecasing is a bar 33. adapted to slide longitudinally. The bar bolts 18aiid spaced from 33 has at its end. farthest from the casing 15, adownwardly extending arm 34. The bar 33 is provided on its upper surfacewithin the casing with lugs 35 and 35. The lug 35 is so arranged that inone position of while in another position of the bar 33, the

lug is in the path of the lugs 30.

Suitably supported adjacent to the lower end of the arm 3i is a stopdevice comprising an inverted U-shaped bracket 35*. The upper bar orcrossmernber of the bracket 35 is beveled at its side edges, as shown inFig. 9. Below said bar is a spring 36 adapt-- ed to press upwardlytoward said bar.

Mounted on the upper bar of the bracket 35 is a pair of adjustablesupports, each of said arms comprising a horizontal member 37, restingon top of said barhaving at its ends downwardly inclined members 38 and39 adapted to engage the beveled edges of said bar.

At "the lower end 'of the member 38 is a lateralIy p rojecting arm 40extending in the 'path of movement of the arm 3%. At the lower end ofthe arm 39 is a laterally protecting arm 41, between the spring 36 andthe horizontal bar of the bracket 35*, and

spaced from the member 37 a distance greater than the thickness of saidbar.

The spring 36 engages the members 41 of the adjustable engaging arms,and tends to normally hold said adjustable engaging arms in their raisedpositions where the members 37 and 39 frictionally engage the beveled ecges of the bracket 35" lVhen it is desired to adjust said adjust ablearms longitudinally of the members 35. the operator presses downwardlyon the member 3'? against the pressure of the spring 36, until themembers 38 and 39 are free from frictional engagement with the bracket35", and slides the adjustable en gaging arms longitudinally on saidbracket.

Pivoted to the lower portion of the frame- 17 on the side thereofadjacent to the free end of the tonearm 10, is a lever 44, which.

extends from its pivot above and across the arm 33 between the dislrs 2tand 2'? toward the pivoted end of the tone arm 10, as illustrated inFig. 7.

Pivotcd to what might be called the rear ward end of the lever 4-4 is aslightly curved link 45. extending i'ipwardlv and through a suitableopening in the casing 15.

Fixed to the frame 4-6. which assists in sesame 52 is secured to theupper end of an arm 43 which extends away from the clamp device 41 onthe member 12.

The lever all is provided on its up ier surface with a hook member 53,such as t at shown in Fig. 6, and for a purpose hereinaftermentioned.

Suitably mounted on the frame members 17 and 19 is a shaft 54, on whichis mounted a gear 55 in mesh with the gear 27. On the shaft 54 is a gearmeshing with the gear 57, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, on theshaft 58 similarly shown in the same figure Fixed to the casing member50, and mounted'on the shaft 58 to permit the rotation of the shaft 58,is a casing member Fixed on the shaft 58 adjacent to the gear 57 is adisk 60 to which is pivoted a spring pawl 61 adapted to coaet with thegear all Pivotally mounted on the disk 60 are brake shoes 62 on whichare weighted arms 63.

The brake shoes 62 of their positions to en wall 65 of the casingSecured to each brake she disk 60 is a spring 6e adag i hold the brakeshoes away In the practical eperati device, I will assume the positionshown in that the tone arm is in its swinging me where the needle 1 ithe disk toward position uh is above the disk nea its per lt will ofcourse be under opwation of the device is su antially same Where amachine is used in which needle is moved from the c'cr to ti riphery ofthe disk in pl:

As the tone arm 10 swings l ti'on, shown in Fig. toward on the spring48.

The tone arm will have some momentum in its swinging movement, and whenthe arm 01 strikes the member ill, the bar gear 21, the gear and the die27 The in; 35* will more into t of the lugs 30.

As the disks .26 and Q7 rotate, the lower pin 28 will enter the not chformed adjacent to the hook or catch member tendii'ig to swing the arml-l. upwardly. Tl of the sound box will also move the swinglug arm 44upwardly as soon as the lower pin 28 moves upwardly;

The rotation of the dish 2% im 1 3 tion to the disk 60 and thecentrixugai force I of the weighted arms 63 will move the brake to thegear 57. )10

It should be mentioned in this connection that the gear 57 is wideenough to permit it to engage the pawl 61 and also to engage the gear56.

After the disks 26 and 27 have moved a quarter revolution, one of thelugs 30 will engage the lug 35*. The record will then be played untilthe tone arm swings toward the left, and until the member 34 engages theother member 40, at which time the bar 33 will be moved toward theirightwith relation to the tone arm, moving the lug 35 out. of the path of thelugs 30, and moving the lug 35 into the pathof the lugs 29. Anotherquarter revolution will be imparted to the disks 26 and 27. At thebeginning of this quarter revolution, the pin 28 leaves the hook member53, which has been raised suflieiently to allow it to clear the pin 28,and as the quarter revolution continues the other pin 28 will engage thearm 44 forcing it downwardly and thereby raising the sound box 13, andalso imposing greater tension on the spring 48. This tension will tendonce more to swing the tone arm 10 toward position where the sound boxand needle are above the record near its periphery.

The spring 32 should be wound up at proper times to keep it undertension during the operation of the machine.

It will be seen that the brake shoes, hereinbefore described, with theweighted arms thereon, and the parts connected therewith, serve as abrake or cushioning device for preventing the sudden operation of themachine, and preventingjar or undue vibration of the parts of themechanism.

The device is a comparatively simple construction, and is so 'made thatit may be mounted ,as an attachment on a phonograph.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my improved device without departing from the essentialpurposes of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by the claimsof the patent. to be issued upon my application, any modified forms ofstructure or use oi mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonablyincluded within the scope of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a swinging tone arm, a sound boxpivotally mounted thereon, means for raising and lowering said sound boxand for swinging said tone arm onits pivot, said means inmountedthereon, means for raisin lowering said sound box and for swingingeluding a spring, a motor device, a-flexible member connected with saidsound box, a pivoted lever connected with said flexible device and saidspring, means actuated by said motor device for moving said lever forincreasing the tension of said spring and movin said flexible device forraising said sound ox.

2. In a device of the class described, a swinging tone arm, a sound boxpivotally and said tone arm on its pivot, said means including a spring,a motor device, a flexible member connected with said sound box, a

pivoted lever connected with said flexible device and said spring, meansactuated by said motor device for moving said lever for increasing thetension of-said spring and moving said flexible device for raising saidsound box, and means for rendering said flexible device operative whenthe tone arm reaches one position of its movement, and for making itinoperative when the tone arm reaches another position of its movement.

3. In a device of the class described, a swinging tone'arm, a sound boxpivotally supported thereon, a yielding device oper atively connectedwith .said tone arm for tending to swing the tone arm to one position ofits-movement, a motor device, means including a spring motor forsimultaneously raising said sound box and increasing the tension of saidyielding device, means for intermittently operatively connecting saidlast means with said motor device, and a centrifugal brake operativelyconnected with said motor for regulating its action.

4. In a device of the class described, a swinging tone arm, a sound boxpivotally supported thereon, a spring device operatively connected withsaid tonearm and adapted to swing said tone arm to a certain p( s1tionof its movement, means, for

raising said sound box and for increasing a lever pivotally supported onsaid'arm, a

yielding device connected with said lever and with a fixed support,meanssfor operatively connecting said lever with said "pivoted soundbox, the parts being so arranged that when said leveris in one positionthe gg rea ers tension on said yielding device is increased and thesound box lowered, said means inand said sound box is raised, and whenthe eluding asIidable bar carried by said arm, lever is in anotherposition such tension is having projecting member, and adjustabielowered and the sound box is lowered, means devices arranged to stand indifi'erent posi- 25 5 for moving said lever to the first (if-said tionsin the path of said member.

positions, a slidable bar carried by said 7 in a device of the classdescribed, the tone arm and adapted in certain positions combination ofa swinging phonograph arm to render said last means inoperative, andhaving a sound box pivoted thereon with in other positions to permitsaid last means means whereby when said arm reaches one 30 10 tooperate, adjustable means for limiting position of its movement saidsound box is the movement of said bar when saidtone lifted, said arm isswung to another posiarm swings, for thereby limiting the swingtion andthe sound box lowered said means ing movement of the tone arm and alsofor including a slidable bar carried by said arm, moving said slidablebar to its different having a projecting member, and means for 35 15positions. limiting the movement or" said member come 6. In a device ofthe class described, the prising a bar, stop devices slidahly mountedcombination of aswinging phonographprm thereon, and means for normally,yieldingly having a sound box pivoted thereon, with looking said stopdevices on said bar in the means whereby when said arm reaches onepopath of movement of said member. 20 sition of its movement said soundbox is-lift- Des Moines, Iowa, May 11, 1917.

ed, said arm is swung to another position zl/TLLLUVJC ATl VOOD SHARP.

